Barnes and Noble Kids Club

I wanted to share a fun new thing that Barnes & Noble is doing.  They have started a kids club.  It is free to register.  You can put all of your kids on one account.  When you register you will receive a coupon for 30% off any child's item in the store or online, including toys.  Also, your kids will receive a free cupcake or cookie on their birthday at the B&N cafe.  They also have a thing called Tikatok where children can create their own books.  When you register you receive one free digital creation with Tikatok.  After that you get 25% off all other books you create with Tikatok.  There are fun activities for kids on the website when you join, including children's favorite books read to them by the authors!  It is a fun sight and seems like a great deal...free!  Who can beat that?  Oh, and if you shop with B&N you receive a $5 gift certificate for every $100 you spend on children's books and toys.  If you already have a B&N membership you can still sign up for the kids club and they will attach it to your current membership card so that every time you shop the points are added automatically!  Enjoy!  B&N Kids Club website.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

Yesterday we went to Mission San Juan Capistrano.  We had such a great time!  There is a free 5 hour parking lot off the street just prior to the mission. Admission is $9 per adult and $5 per child.  If you have an Entertainment Book there is a coupon inside for buy one admission get one free.  If you go online to their website you can get a $1 off coupon by signing up for their online newsletter.

When we entered the front garden I was taken back.  I forgot how beautiful it was there.  Along with the amazing history of the buildings, they have beautiful grounds with lush gardens, and koi ponds with huge koi that come up right to the surface to greet you (but don't touch!). 

The mission is an excellent resource for 4th graders (typically the grade where California history is taught), however, other grades can benefit from the rich history lessons offered there.  Children can catch a glimpse of life before electricity.  The mission has done a wonderful job setting up learning stations around the grounds.  Each adult receives an audio tour for free.  They give you a listening device.  As you get to each station you key in the number and you are given a wonderful narrative on what had taken place at that location.  They also have an audio tour for kids which is $2 extra.  We did not use those during this visit.  Throughout the mission the kids could look into rooms and see what they would have looked like hundreds of years ago.  They had one room for the kids to see the brands for each of the 21 California Missions and do a crayon rubbing of their favorites.  In this same room they had these wonderful boards full of information on each of these missions.  We were able to explore all over the grounds! 

The most exciting part for me and the kids was the new Lewis and Clark exhibit.  This exhibit is trully etraordinary.  When you first walk in you are greeted with a wall of black and white photos which depict Lewis and Clark's journey through modern day pictures.  This was very interesting to the adults :)  The next area you enter is a fantastic journey with Lewis and Clark.  The exhibit was child friendly, which parents love!  They could look, touch, pick up and play with things.  Children were able to use feather quill pens to sign their name to the expedition book.  They then could dress the part of an explorer.  From there they were introduced to Sacagawea and the native american tribes Lewis and Clark met on their travels.  There was even a baby doll in a papoose for children to carry around.  At each stop in the exhibit they had magnetic drawing boards with a map of the US, where kids could trace the route of Lewis and Clark thus far in the exhibit.  At the very end the children were able to spin the "Wheel of Misery".  They spun this wheel to learn their fate on the trail.  The bad fortune ranged from a snake bite to death from a ruptured appendix.  While a bit dark, it did help the students to see the many trials explorers faced.  While most children in California learn about Lewis and Clark and the Westward Movement in 5th grade, this exhibit is excellent for all ages! 

For our 4th grade student we gave her a passport ($2 at the front window).  She loved this as it symbolized her 4th grade work.  We bought all of the kids small leather necklaces with the San Juan Capistrano brand on them ($2 at the front window).  We had a fantastic time and are looking forward to going there again!

Apple Learning Activities

I meant to put this up in September, but it still works for October!  We are going apple picking in a couple of weeks, so I am going to do some of these activities to tie the apple theme all together.

One of my favorite books for teaching about Johnny Appleseed is the one to the left.  It has an excellent poem about him and the pioneers.  It also gives a true account of his life at the end.  Read this to your children.  At the end you can use it for discussion on many different topics.  1) Discuss poetry.  I love this site Scholastic Poetry game my kids had a great time playing with the poetry engine.  You can then have your student write a haiku (three lines, first and third lines are 5 syllables, second line is 7 syllables), a limerick, or free verse about apples.  2) If you are learning about the westward movement you can use the poem to discuss the lives of pioneers.  3) Use it to discuss how plants grow from seeds.

Another great book for learning about apples is called How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World (Dragonfly Books).  This is a fun book about where all of the ingredients used in apple pie come from.  It takes you on a trip around the world and helps show kids how we use things from all over the world, everyday.  It also has an easy apple pie recipe that you can do with your kids at the end!

One of my favorite activities to do with kids is to cut an apple in half, dip it in a light paint and stamp it on paper.  You then label the different parts of an apple on the paper.  Glue the seeds to the middle where they go.  This is a great activity to help children understand more about plants.  You can use this as a math lesson as well by having your child(ren) guess how many seeds are in the apple and then count up how many seeds are actually inside.  Great for estimation!  If you cut the apple in half width wise you can do all of this and add in this wonderful story The Star in the Apple. It is a wonderful visual for God's plan in all of our lives.

I also found this terrific website for fun apple lesson plans and activities. The Virtual Vine.  I was thoroughly impressed by the amount of information and activities they had contained there. 

Have fun with this season!  Enjoy those apples!

Lakeshore Learning Arts & Crafts

Every Saturday Lakeshore Learning Center has a FREE arts and crafts day.  I have attached the link below.  Tomorrow is their special Career Day where kids can make a fireman's costume, police costume and more!  We will be there at 11 am if you want to join us!  Lakeshore Learning Arts & Crafts schedule

For Discovery Science Center members!

You're Invited!October 29 & 30, 2010 • 5:30pm to 8:30pm
Join us for a SPOOKtacular Fall event just for members. Experience our new exhibit Spooky Science: Bug Invasion and enjoy themed family activities just in time to kick-off the Halloween weekend!
Food, Fun & Activities:
• Join Our Costume Parade
• Enjoy Snacks & Refreshments
• Try Your Hand at Pumpkin Painting
• Participate in Exclusive Hands-on Activities
• Receive a Special Treat Bag (kids only!)• Get 20% Off Your Science Store Purchase*

No RSVP Necessary. Bring your current membership card and photo ID for check in.

Questions? Call 714-913-5040 during regular business hours or e-mail members@discoverycube.org.

Great outdoor education experiences!

This place has monthly classes for homeschoolers.  Great opportunity for kids!  Check out the website for more information.
Environmental Nature Center

How to raise boys to read

This is an excellent article!  Thank you to my friend Maria for finding it!  Article on "How to Raise Boys That Read"